The Missing Picture
by Errol's Feather
Summary: When young Regina loses a picture in the park, it is found by Emma. The young girls falls in love with the girl in the picture and decide to find her and marry her some day. Years later Regina finds out what happened to the picture she lost so many years ago. Fluff.


_**Author's Note: This idea was made based on a prompt idea on a SQ site, this is my version of it.**_

* * *

 _ **The Missing picture**_

"Regina, will you hurry or you will be late for you Grandfather's party," Cora Mills sighed as she looked at her fourteen-year-old daughter. Clearly, she was in no rush parting with her best friend Kathryn, as the two stood talking by some bushes in Central park.

"Just one second, mother," said Regina as she tried to hurry the conversation along. In her hand two sets of pictures. They had gotten them at school today, one was to be framed to give to her grandfather, the others were in the shapes of passport photos she hate cut up to give to her friends. They had gotten them all at school the very same day.

"Regina, we won't have time to have that photo framed if you don't start moving right this instant," Cora demanded tiredly. She already had a long day at work and was not up for any more delays.

"Sorry, babe, got to go," Regina excused herself, giving her friend a couple of kisses to her cheeks, before running to her mother, obedient as always. Not even noticing that one of the small passport photos dropped to the ground and she hurried along. Kathryn didn't either as she hurried towards her home in the opposite direction.

* * *

A little later that day nine-year-old Emma was running through the same area of the park. She was trying to escape some of her bullies that tended to follow her on the way home from school. She crouched down behind the bushes waiting for the to pass when she spotted something in the grass. Her hand reaching out to pick it up, seeing it was a small photo. She looked at it, the girl in the photo, even if she looked serious and Emma thought a bit sad, her dark eyes sparkling, her dark hair hanging loosely around her head, her skin spotless. She to Emma spite the picture being in black and white seemed perfect. Emma looked at it again whispering, "I am going to find you and one day I will marry you."

After all this girl in the photo whoever she was the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. She didn't even know how old she was or who she was, but the young Emma could feel her heart beating by the stunning girl in that very picture. She smiled at it and put it in her wallet before she ran towards the foster home she lived in. Yes, she would marry her some day the young Emma Swan decided.

* * *

 _ **Many years later**_

"Emma dear, please stop, or I will be late for my meeting," Regina mused, she still needed to dry her hair, and take a last look at her makeup. She didn't mind her wife pressing lingering kisses against her backside though, in fact she never minded. Still she was in a bit of a hurry, so she got out of bed and let her hand go behind to pull the zipper on her dress up, leaning down to give Emma, a soft peck on the lip instead.

"Then come back to bed with me," Emma said, looking at her love with a glint in her blue eyes. The blonde was wearing dark blue jeans and a green top that was way to short, showing off her perfect toned body.

Regina shook her head, as she got up from the bed. She walked over to her makeup table only to find pearl necklace, fastening it around her neck, then finding a pair of matching studs putting them on. The brunette turned to look at her wife, a soft smile on her lips saying, "I wish I could, but this meeting is far to important for me to miss out on."

"Hmmm," Emma said with a sigh, getting out of bed also, saying, "I know, I should get going also, couldn't hurt to show up early at work for a change."

"As long as you are not to be late tonight, remember our parents will be joining us at the restaurant," Regina reminded in a bored tone.

"I promise I won't, now go get them tiger," said Emma, pressing a lingering kiss against Regina's neck. Regina's eyes fluttered shut as she let her lean against Emma for a second, feeling safe in her grasp as so many times before. She really was the one to get Regina to be calm, when the whole world went crazy, her wife truly grounded her in so many ways.

"Mmm, I shall try," said Regina as she broke free from the grasp, only to run into the bathroom to dry her hair before leaving their house. Emma groaned as she slowly tossed on a squared flannel shirt over her top, then went to put her hair in a neat ponytail and putting on some modest makeup. She was wondering if she had time to go home and change before their anniversary dinner or if she should bring her outfit with and hand in the wardrobe to be on the safe side. She decided on the latter, putting her red dress in a bag and headed towards the car when her phone went up. She adjusted so she could take it saying, "Emma Swan."

"Hi mom, is it too late to join in for dinner tonight?" she heard her son Henry say in the other end of the phone.

"No of course not, I will call the restaurant to ask them to put another plate, or should I make that two, are you bringing Jay?" Emma asked, not bothering using the full name of his wife.

"Make it too please, I assume the grandparents is coming also?" he questioned.

"To be fair it was originally just being Cora and Henry, but then mom heard and she insisted that she and dad would join also, much to your mother's dismay. Well and mine, but what can you do, in any case it's 6pm tonight and I really need to go," she said, knowing Regina would be thrilled that Henry could join after all.

"I will keep that in mind, see you later, mom," he said and hung up before she could respond. She got the dress in the back and started to drive to her job at the nearest police station as she called the restaurant to make room for a couple more. Which clearly wasn't a problem as her wife had done the same a couple of minutes before. Emma assumed Regina's sister, her daughter Robin and Robin's fiancé Alice was coming also. She still found it hard at times to believe how old both Robin and Henry had gotten, thinking about the fact that when she first meet Regina he was three years old and Robin was seven, sometimes she didn't even know where the time has gone off too. She looked at the wedding picture on her desk once she got there, smiling knowing she would have to pick up the present in her lunch break, smiling by the thought of it. She had gotten Regina a locket with pictures of the two of them and Henry inside, with the words, 'forever yours,' on the back. Emma could hardly wait to give it to her when they were back home in private after the dinner.

She was just about to sit down by her desk, when her coworker Killian came inside saying, "Swan, so good you got here early, we got a full call out seconds ago, some robbery or something down at the old bank I think it was."

"Alright, you drive?" Emma said with a sigh, knowing she didn't need this today, but there was not much she could do about it. She never really minded that her fellow brothers in arms called her Swan even after she got married and took the name Swan-Mills. To be fair she had considered to take the name Lucas after her adoptive mother, but Swan just stuck around.

"Sure thing," he beamed at his partner, as both headed towards the elevators leading to parking garage. Emma's mind switching to full work mood within seconds.

* * *

Regina was rubbing the bridge over her nose, feeling a migraine coming on. This board meeting was taking forever, and she feared it would even go past lunch. She could feel her stomach crying for food, she really should have eaten something on her way here. She looked over at her sister Zelena, that right now was talking to one of the other chair-holders that wanted to withdraw their contract. She sighed, looking down at her phone, a text from her niece Robin, saying she had to turn on the TV, something about Emma she thought. Regina's heart jumped to her throat as she managed to get out, "I think it is time to call a brief recess, should we say twenty minutes so we can stretch our legs?"

The others quickly nodded and left the room as Zelena stayed wondering, "What is going on?"

"Not sure, where is the nearest TV?" Regina tried to stay calm.

"There is one in the cafeteria, but you can live stream to your cell if it is important," said Zelena with a small smile.

"Yes, of course, your phone has bigger picture than mine, can you find one of the news channels?" Regina asked, looking at her sister with pleading eyes.

Zelena nodded finding it, seeing a live feed, a hostile situation at a store that used to be an old bank, a hostage and two police officers were shoot thus far, and negotiations were still being made. They wouldn't give out any names of those dead or if there were any injuries. Regina felt her as if her heart stopped and Zelena looked at her sister, Regina's face turned white as she whispered, "It cannot be Emma, it's…it's our anniversary."

"I am sure she isn't in there, Regina," Zelena said calmly, as Emma's superior came on the screen saying something that his bravest men where in there and they were doing their best for this to go smoothly. That they didn't need to worry. Regina grasped for her cell texting, "You better be there tonight or I swear I will wake you from the dead and kill you once more."

"She better not be, now let us finish this meeting so we can have lunch, I am starving," Regina said, and just like that she was back into her casual business tone, Zelena however knew her sister well enough to know that she did just that to conceal her real emotions, she just shook her head and smiled.

"What!" Regina snapped at her.

"You are just adorable sometimes," Zelena said in a loving tone, letting a hand go over to fix some of the hairs that had come a bay, so Regina would look flawless as ever.

"I love you too," said Regina, blushing slightly, even if she was way too old to do this she knew. She had to love her sister keeping her calm in situations like this though. Right now, she was praying that Emma was alive and would show up on the anniversary dinner later that day.

* * *

Emma Swan-Mills was so stressed out, she looked at the time as she walked on her high heels the last steps towards the restaurant. She was wearing her red evening gown, one she had been wearing many years back at her first date with Regina. On top she her red leather jacket that Regina had put together way too many times, as it had been ripped more times than Emma would care to remember.

The blonde sighed heavily, knowing that at this point she was only wearing it to cover a meat wound caused by a bullet earlier that day. She had bandage around her upper arm to cover it, not wanting Regina to worry tonight. She of course knew her wife would in any case, when she hadn't had time to text her back, and the fact that she now was late. She cursed within over the fact that the TV station had earlier that day had released live photo of the hostage situation about what had happened at the bank. It was all due to that idiot of a boss she had. She hadn't been able to talk the robbers down before three hours later, by then two of her fellow officers lay dead on the floor along with a random customer, three officers badly wounded, along with one of the three robbers and another customers.

Emma was glad she just had gotten a small wound, even more so that the cell phone in her pocket had been on soundless for a change. When she finally got out of there she had one text from Regina, a clearly distraught on, thee missed calls from Robin, one from Henry, four from her mother and one from her father. Technically they were her adoptive parents, but ever since she was quite young Emma had considered widow Lucas and Marco her real parents as they were the only ones she knew. They had gotten married when Emma was thirteen and her sister Ruby, Eugenia's granddaughter had been fifteen then, the two had been inseparable ever since Emma had come into the house when she was six. She had asked if Ruby would be joining them tonight, but her sister was occupied with her job elsewhere in the country, so she would come over the same weekend instead. She sent her love though.

Both of them had made sure to make Eugenia's hair to grow grey over the years, she loved them both though as they loved her. Emma had taken some time to call her mom, even if Ruby and Henry always called her granny.

Emma smiled by the thought of the first time she met Regina, she hadn't even seen her at first, it was not long after she had graduated from the Police academy. It had been a dream since she had been very young to be someone's hero and so she figured why not try to get in, to her luck she did. Then again, she had always been in good shape and her grades had been high, better than Ruby's even as Emma loved to read, even if she didn't always pay attention in class when she was young. In any case Emma had been on her way to work that very morning when she heard a female voice yell, "Stop that man, he stole my purse."

Emma saw a man running pass and had given chase right away, mostly cause her instinct told her so, already having the earplugs in as she was listening to music on her phone, she called for backup as she kept running. She soon caught up to the guy and he got taken in, while she went back to Regina with the purse. It was only upon the return she got lost on words when she saw the stunning brunette standing there with a stroller. She looked unlike any woman Emma had ever seen, still she was grateful when Emma handed her the black purse saying, "I believe this is…uhm yours."

"Thank you, Miss…? You really saved our day," said Regina with a smile, clearly impressed by Emma's actions.

"Swan, officer Swan, but Emma to you, ma'am," said Emma polite, holding out her hand.

"Very well, Emma, I am Regina Mills, would you allow me to cook you dinner later as a thank you, if you are not busy that is?" Regina requested shaking it.

"I get off at six so if that is not too late for the two of you, I'd love to," said Emma polite, grinning at them.

"No, it is fine," said Regina with a polite nod.

"Alright, what address should I show up at?" Emma wondered curiously, not being able to take her eyes of the other woman.

"108 Mifflin Street, I am sure you should be able to find it, we really should get going as I am meeting my parents," she said with a sigh.

"Alright, see you later," said Emma and winked at her, before turning to walk in the direction or the precinct, as she heard the kid say, "She is a superhero, isn't she, cause she got your purse back real fast, mom."

"Because, not cause, Henry, dear, and she is more of a knight in a very rusty armor," Emma heard Regina say behind her back, making her blush and feel all fuzzy inside. She knew that was no doubt because of her red leather jacket. She vowed right there and then to always be Regina's hero, and so she had been. Even now about twenty-two years later Regina still called her rusty knight. She took a deep breath as she walked into the crowded restaurant, sneaking pass the other customers in line for a table saying, "My family is here, they are expecting me, Swan-Mills?"

"Yes, ma'am, take a right, they should be by the window," he said and winked at her. Their usual table Emma concluded as they were always there for their anniversaries and date night, it was a kind of a tradition, and so she headed in that direction.

* * *

Regina was possible the only one of the big party not sitting down, making her mother in a firm tone say, "Regina, will you please sit, I am sure she is fine, didn't you call her sergeant earlier to confirm that?"

"No, mother, I didn't get through, and she is late, she is never late, that has to be a bad sign," Regina objected, pacing, why oh why hadn't Emma gotten back to her if she was alright. Surely she knew Regina to worry, at this point she was going out of her mind not knowing if she was okay or not.

"Or she was busy with paper work, please sit down, Regina," Zelena tried to calm her sister, looking at her.

"No, I just…can't, I need to know she is fine, maybe I should go over there," Regina said with a sigh. She looked at the table where most of their relatives were sitting.

"Nonsense," Cora was getting enough and got up also, about to say something, when they heard Emma say, "What is all the fuzz about?"

"Mom, you are alive!" said Henry with a sigh of relief, getting up to hug his other mother. His wife Jacinda just smiled at Emma giving her a polite nod, Emma soon returned it.

"Yes, of course, it would be in poor taste to die on my own anniversary, plus Regina would make havoc in the land of the dead if that happened," Emma said with a small laugh, looking over at her wife. She looked rather tired and like she had been crying, she felt badly for what she put her through. She let go of her son and walked over to her wife. Cora sat back down, to let Emma pass, giving her husband a smile. He pressed a kiss to her cheek, knowing her to have been worried as well.

Emma let her hands rest on Regina's waist whispering, "Hi, sorry I am late, traffic her was murder."

"Please don't joke about that, I was so scared Emma, I couldn't get a hold of you and I feared the worst," Regina whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips.

"I am sorry, but you know I could never leave you," Emma nuzzled lovingly against her cheek.

"I know, the others, I heard on the news of casualties, were they friends?" Regina wondered, letting her hand caress Emma's cheeks, clearly her wife had been crying also.

"Later, I can't think about that now, plus I am starving," said Emma smiling at her, hugging her tight, whispering, "How did your meeting go?"

"I got the upper hand and kicked out the chair-holder that didn't agree, or I bought him out, because I could. He should make no more trouble," said Regina with a small laugh.

"That's my girl," Emma said, pressing a kiss to her forehead, before letting her go to sit down. Regina sat down next to her, feeling much calmer. She smiled pressing a kiss to her cheek, making Emma blush slightly, before her eyes went to the menu.

* * *

"You never told me how you two met," Alice said and looked across the table at the happy couple. Regina was taking a sip of wine, as Emma looked at her wife with loving eyes. Alice hoped she and Robin would be just as happy some day in the future.

"Well, Emma stopped a man trying to steal my purse back in the days and I invited her for dinner," said Regina, smiling at her niece.

"I did to that," Emma said, taking a bite of her steak, chewing calmly.

"Yes, that and her uniform kind of sealed the deal," said Regina thoughtfully, Cora rolled her eyes lightly at this. Her daughter always had a thing for people in uniforms, why she had gone out with Henry's father. He had been in the armed forces, he died before Henry was even born. Regina had considered an abortion, feeling lost on how to raise him alone, but Zelena, she and her husband had promised to help her out. If she wanted to keep the baby still that was, and so Regina had kept her son, and with help form her family raised him, until the day Emma came along.

"For me it was more your cooking," Emma said with a small laughter. She knew she herself was the worse cook in the history, but Regina was in her eyes a master in the kitchen.

"I do find it interesting that the two of you ended up together, considering Emma had a huge of a brunette when she was quite young," Granny said with a smile.

"Oh?" Regina looked at her wife, that suddenly seemed ever so occupied with her food. Then again considering how much Emma reminded her of man at times, she was not surprised by this at all. Still Emma had her softer sides, like the fact she always cried over sad scenes in movies, not that she would ever admit to it.

"Yes, don't you remember, Emma?" Eugenia looked at the woman she considered to be her second daughter.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Emma's objected strongly, but her face gave her away, as it turned into a shade of dark red.

"Do tell, mom," Henry said intrigued, enjoying his mother being pressed into a corner.

"I actually assumed you became a cop to find this mystery woman," said Marco, smiling at Emma.

"Who?" Regina was rather amused by this, wondering who her wife had a crush on back then.

"Fine, but before I tell you, keep in mind I was between nine and ten back then," Emma grumbled with a sigh. She shot her mom a glare across the table.

"You were nine when you found the picture, but your crush lasted for years," Eugenia corrected.

"Alright, alright," Emma rolled her eyes, as she went into the inner pocket of her leather jacket to retrieve her wallet. She opened it, to find the pocket where she kept pictures of her family and the picture of the young girl she had found in the park long ago. She took a deep breath saying, "I walked or rather ran home from school one day when I was like nine. I was hiding from some bullies when I found this photo of a girl and she was the most stunning thing I had ever seen. I went to the park many times after that hoping to see her and return the photo, but I never saw anyone similar. It is stupid I know falling for someone you never even meet. Anyways here is the picture, I keep if out of sentimental reasons mostly."

She handed it over to Regina that gasped, her eyes widened, there it was the picture she had lost in the park so many years ago. She had gone back trying to find it, but in the end, she figured it had blown away or ruined by the weather. As she stopped looking for it she figured she had enough of the same picture so it really didn't matter. It was more that it bothered her that a picture of her lay around for someone to find, maybe even the wrong someone. Regina now saw the irony that the someone that had found her was now her wife. She passed it to her mother, seeing her jaw dropping. Henry looking over his wife shoulder, raising his brows, as Zelena shut in, "What is going on?"

Cora handed the picture to Zelena across the table saying, "Recognize this?"

"Oh my god, I haven't seen that in forever, I think I still have one at home somewhere," said Zelena, making Emma look at her confused. She was for sure missing a point.

"I better explain," Regina said calmly, looking at her confused wife, adding, "I lost that very picture on my way to my grandfather's birthday. We had gotten them back from a photographer that had taken our pictures at school some weeks later. My friend Kathryn and I were exchanging them at the park, and one of mine got lost. I tried to find it, but it is obvious now why I never did."

"So, you are saying, that the girl in the picture is you, you were my first love?" Emma asked, still a little confused by this. She couldn't help but to see the irony in the fact that they had ended up together in the end anyways.

"Guilty, I am so glad you found that," Regina beamed at her, pressing a loving kiss to her wife's cheek.

"My first love and my true love, I have to remember to thank whoever stole your purse one day," said Emma, laughing, she was quite sure she could never have been happier even if she tried. Regina shook her head, knowing spite the fact that she knew she had to tend to her wife's injuries later, this was the best anniversary she ever had. She looked at her family talking excitedly about the missing picture and that clearly fate had had something to do with it.

Emma looked at her wife, pressing a kiss to her cheek, glad that she had finally found the owner of the picture in the park. Glad that she had been with her all along and that that person loved her beyond measures. She could hardly wait to give Regina the gift when then came home, she knew her wife would love it. She heard Regina's soft laughter over something Robin said, feeling her heart flutter, knowing she was the luckiest woman in the world to be with her.

* * *

Thank you so much for reading, feedback is always appreciated :o)


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